Justin Anderson

There were few bright spots for the White Sox in 2024, and Anderson was one of them, in that he pitched in the majors for the first time since 2019. Anderson had Tommy John surgery after becoming injured ramping up for the 2020 season and was dropped by the Angels before trying to make it back with the Rangers and Royals from 2021 to 2023. Anderson's two-year minor league deal with the Rangers did not work out, while his time with Kansas City was interesting in that he struck out 59 batters in 36.2 innings around a 6.87 ERA because of a high walk rate. The Southside of Chicago held essentially an open tryout all season, and Anderson's effective pitching in Triple-A Charlotte got him elevated to the big leagues where he struck out 57 batters in 53. 1 innings pitched, but the walks remained a problem for him. Anderson has above-average stuff, highlighted by his slider and should be first in line for saves in Chicago because he has the best combination of stuff and experience in a very young bullpen. How well Anderson does in that role will depend on whether he can find the strike zone with more regularity, because he had one of the worst walk rates in baseball for all pitchers with at least 50 innings of work in 2024. He is the last pitcher with at least 100 career walks and 100 career strikeouts while pitching fewer than 160 career innings since Henry Rodriguez, who pitched from 2009 to 2014. Read Past Outlooks